HMS Awkward
by OoZolaoO
Summary: Mesedj Sebayet is a 7th year Slytherin, a Death Eater in Training, a girl who doesn't know kindness. When she meets Gryffin Cruento, a 7th year Gryffindor who is her opposite, something sparks between them.Two 7th years. Two polar opposites. One feeling.
1. First Meeting

Mesedj Sebayet wandered through the Great Hall on her way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to gather some herbs for her latest potion and managed to bump into the only other student there, a tall black-haired Gryffindor boy.

"Oh, sorry. Are you ok?" he asked, looking up.

Mesedj raised an eyebrow. She wasn't used to Gryffindors being anywhere near friendly to a Slytherin, much less her. "I'm fine. And…thank you for your concern," she added grudgingly.

The boy smiled. "No problem."

"So... I have to ask. Why are you being so nice to me? I'm a Slytherin. You're a Gryffindor." Mesedj crossed her arms.

"So...you're a person aren't you?" he asked, eyes shining.

Mesedj shrugged, a little surprised they had gotten this far in conversation. "Most Gryffindors don't seem to think so... especially not when they find out my favorite areas of study are Divination, Dark Arts, and Potions."

"Well, most Slytherins don't give me the time of day...so yeah, I guess there is something special about you," he laughed.

Mesedj laughed in spite of herself. "I haven't given you the time of day yet, have I?"

"Well, you haven't told me to go die or walked away yet...so yes you have," the boy corrected, grinning at her.

Mesedj, still laughing, barely managed to say, "Go die, then," before her voice was choked by a fresh wave of laughter. There was something about him that just lightened her mood, but she didn't know what it was.

"Now that's something new, a Slytherin laughing around me...it's nice," he said, still smiling at her.

Mesedj stopped laughing abruptly, running one hand through her dark hair. "I haven't laughed this much since my parents died," she confessed. "Not around anyone, not even Bellatrix."

"I'm sorry about your parents," the boy said seriously, "but don't worry. Laughing: it's nice for you, you should do it more often," he said smiling at her.

Mesedj blushed slightly. What are you doing? He's a Gryffindor. What if you have to kill him later? a small sensible voice in her head reminded her. She growled softly at it. "Um... I'm going to have to go...ah... I never caught your name."

"I'm Gryffin...and you are?" he asked, grinning.

"Mesedj Sebayet," she replied, smiling as well. "Have you ever been into the Forbidden Forest?" she added on a whim, the sensible part of her screaming that she was a complete idiot.

"Well...no I haven't. Isn't it off limits?" Gryffin asked.

Mesedj blushed. "Well... it's not really in the forest, more like right outside it..."

"Oh, ok. Do you need some help?" Gryffin asked, smiling.

Mesedj knew it was extremely obvious. She also knew she didn't really care. "If you want to," she said, twisting her hair around one finger.

"Sure," Gryffin said, grinning.

She smiled and picked up her basket from where it had fallen when she ran into him. "Let's go, then."

Gryffin smiled. "Ok. Here, let me get that," he said, taking the basket from her.

Mesedj, surprised, let him take it. "Thank you." Did he ever stop smiling? she wondered. It was a nice change, though, from Bella and Lucius.

"No problem," Gryffin told her.

"So... how come I haven't seen you around? You look like you'd be in seventh year or something..." Mesedj's arm felt strangely light without the basket, but at the same time she didn't really mind.

"I don't know," Gryffin answered after some thought.

She shrugged, heading towards the door. "I guess it's just since I don't make much effort to notice Gryffindors...even so, you'd think I'd notice you since Gryffindors and Slytherins have so many classes together. I mean, whose idea was that? It's stupid! Things are ten times more likely to explode than if it was Gryffindor and Ravenclaw or something like that."

"Yeah, I guess. I don't really see anything wrong with it...I mean we are all people...so what if you're in a different house. Does that really matter? I only care about whom the person is, not what house they are in. If you think about things that way you miss out on meeting a lot of great people," Gryffin told Mesedj.

Mesedj pondered this for a moment, feeling that something there made fairly good sense, but brushed it away quickly. "Most people here don't seem to think that way," she said, reaching the front door and pulling it open.

"I do," Gryffin said, being completely serious.

All was quiet in the Gryffindor common room. Quiet, that is, until Sirius Black ran into the Gryffindor Common Room, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Mud fight! Outside! Every person for their own! Come, come!"

"Huh?" a few people asked, looking up from their various homework assignments.

"Check it out on Hogwarts Grounds!" Sirius chattered excitedly, dashing out the portrait hole.

"What's this about a mud fight?" Michael Jordan asked, coming downstairs from his dorm.

Kingsley Shacklebolt launched himself down the stairs, following in the footsteps of his best friend. "Bet we could blame it on Potter!" he laughed hysterically. Getting James in trouble was Michael and Kingsley's way of life. "Or we could always bother McGonagall and see if Dear Old Dumbles will fire her." McGonagall would never be forgiven for blaming Kingsley and Michael for that food fight a week ago.

Caradoc Dearborn wandered in, yawning. "What's all the yelling about down here?" he asked, looking around to find the source of the noise.

"I think we should go bother McGoogles," Michael said, ignoring Caradoc and throwing himself into an armchair. "Or get some food. I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry. Can't we do something fun?" Kingsley asked. "Hey, Doc, we're just goofing off." Doc was the most relaxed of the friends and probably the best behaved. How had Kingsley become Head Boy instead of him?

"Aren't you always?" Caradoc asked, laughing slightly and sitting down in an armchair near Michael.

"Kingy, I think Doc needs to get a lesson in having fun. You up for it?" Michael tossed his dreadlocks back behind his head and settled deeper into the chair.

Caradoc raised an eyebrow at Michael. "What are you planning now?" he asked skeptically.

Michael smiled sweetly. "Nothing, dear friend," he said, turning his chair around to face Kingsley.

Caradoc turned Michael's chair back around. "Whenever you say that, something ends up... exploding or something," he groaned, rolling his eyes.

Kingsley laughed, remembering their last adventure; Michael had ended up burning most of his dreads to a crisp. "Doc is right, you know. How 'bout we head down to Hogsmeade?"

Caradoc nodded. "That sounds less dangerous. Let's go."

Michael pouted, turning his face into that of a sulky child's. "But...But.."

Caradoc rolled his eyes again. "Michael, they've got food in Hogsmeade."

Michael perked up, grinning once more. "Let's go, then!" he shouted, and left the Common Room, Caradoc and Kingsley jogging to keep up with him.


	2. Mudfight!

**Author's Note: Additional Characterization as follows**

**James Potter, 4th year Gryffindor, Marauder and general all-around havoc causer**

**Sirius Black, 4th year Gryffindor, Marauder and general mischief maker**

**Remus Lupin, 4th year Gryffindor, Marauder and mischief maker/bookworm**

**Alea Johnson, 4th year Slytherin, Shy girl with emotion reading skills (has no idea how she got in Slytherin)**

**Alice Smith, 4th year Gryffindor, Outgoing, fun-loving girl (has a crush on Frank Longbottom)**

Standing in the pouring rain in front of the doors of Hogwarts, the mud squishing between his toes, and his shoes already forgotten on the entrance steps, Sirius was enjoying it already. He sat down in the mud to wait for other classmates to join him.

James saw Sirius out the window of the Gryffindor boys' dorm and ran downstairs to join him, changing into a t-shirt and ripped jeans on the way out. "PADFOOT!" James ran down the steps and tackled his friend, knocking him into the mud.

Remus had stayed hidden as James had tackled Padfoot. As soon has he had gotten word that a mud fight was open to all Gryffindors, he had found an excellent spot from which to throw the mud globs he had collected just before Padfoot had come outdoors. Pulling out his wand, Remus levitated a huge ball of mud into the air, and just as his two friends sat up, he sent it soaring their way.  
He peeked over his fort to see what damage he had done, his white wife-beater and beaten jeans already smeared by the thick brown mud, and his feet altogether indistinguishable.

Mesedj came outside with Gryffin and stopped at the top of the steps, seeing the two extremely muddy boys rolling around and one hidden behind a fort of some type. "Right," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Hopefully we can go around this without getting hit."

"We should be able to," Gryffin said, looking to see who it was. "If not, I know where these boys sleep," he told her sarcastically.

Mesedj laughed, going down the steps easily and then gingerly beginning to make her way through the mud. "Ah, I'm gonna get soaked," she muttered, taking her robe off and holding it over her head as an umbrella of sorts. "If they get my clothes muddy..."

A grinning Remus saw two new targets that had walked out of the front door. He levitated two enormous blobs of mud, cast a concealing charm on them, and flung them at the two. He was grinning with anticipation at what the pair would do when they were hit with wet, invisible substance.

Mesedj gasped and spun around quickly as something very wet and very muddy-feeling hit her. "THAT'S IT. _Mobiliterra_!" A huge clump of mud rose up into the air and she flung it at the boy who had thrown the mud at her.

Gryffin watched her. "Why did you do that?" he asked Mesedj, his voice slightly disapproving.

"He started it," Mesedj replied, brushing the mud off of herself. "At least I didn't jinx him."

"True, but you just put yourself on the same level as he is," Gryffin said, looking at her.

Mesedj blinked, having not thought of that. "Well... I can't undo it now. Let's just go," she said, walking quickly towards the edge of the forest.

"Ok," he said, smiling at her again. She stopped at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and waited for him to catch up.

Alea Johnson was trying to go to Herbology and had made it out the front doors of Hogwarts when she saw a ball of mud flying through the air and ducked as it hit the doors. She looked at the scene-some noisy Gryffindors throwing mud at each other. She thought that might be Sirius under the mud, but she wasn't sure. Alea also thought she recognized the boy behind the fort as she saw him in the library often.

Sirius saw Alea walk out and tried to wave at her, but it was difficult since he was also throwing mud at James. He ended up splattering mud all over himself and in the general direction of James. Alea saw Sirius make a motion that could have been a wave, and smiled. Oh, how he amused her.

Sirius abandoned throwing mud at James and Remus, and tried to walk over to her. It was slow going because his clothes were heavy with mud and rain, and his feet kept getting stuck in the now almost knee deep mud. "Hey, Alea!"

"Hey," she called back, blushing. She hated having fair skin; every time she blushed (which was often) it was terribly obvious. Sirius smiled inwardly at her blush; at least he still had his charm.

"Wanna join us?" He gestured towards the muddy battlefield where no grass remained on the earth.

"Um...I'm tempted, but no," Alea said, laughing. "I'll watch, though. This is terribly interesting."

"I'll say," Sirius turned around and looked at his mud-weary friends. "Are you sure? At least get some mud between your toes; I've heard it's great for one's complexion. At least, that's what my mother always says," Sirius encouraged her.

Alea laughed. "Fine. Let me at least go change into some better mud fighting clothes," she added, going back into Hogwarts and running in the general direction of her common room.

"Alright," said Sirius excitedly. He threw a mud ball at James and dived into the mud, hoping he'd blend in. James laughed and simply jumped onto a lump that looked somewhat like Sirius.

"BONZAI!" he yelled.

"MRAGGGHLLLLLELOP!" Sirius rolled out of the way just in time, avoiding instant death by a pouncing Potter and at the same time giving his position away. He sprinted as fast as he could, slipping and sliding on mud all the way.

James laughed and started to chase him, then the identity of the two people who had just gone into the forest hit him and he stopped dead. Unfortunately, he still had forward momentum, so he tripped and fell face-first into the mud.

Alea raced out the doors, beaming, ready for action. She grabbed a ball of mud and flung it in the general direction of the other mud-fighters.

Remus laughed in amusement at the number of people being talked into the game by James and Sirius.  
Mustering up as much caution as he could, he slipped out from behind his fort, while everyone was distracted, did a quick roll in the mud to give him some concealment, and crawled on all fours up towards the group of people were. He leaped up and cast a charm that created a huge wave of mud that was headed directly for the group of unsuspecting fellow mud fightians.

Sirius spun around, "Hey! Alea, glad you coul-"

Alea darted past him, fleeing the mud wave. "RUN!" she laughed.

At that moment, Sirius was drenched head to foot in mud. The wave reduced him to all fours and he spat out a large amount of the earthy substance from his mouth. Sirius saw Remus' figure and he scrambled up to throw a mudball at him.

"Hey, what's going on?" Alice Smith came outside, looking around. Everybody was too busy attacking each other to answer, so she went ahead and dashed into the fray, tripping over a lump of solidified mud and falling face-first into the mud.

Dodging Sirius' well aimed mud ball by a hairsbreath, Remus shot back his own in return, along with one in James' direction.  
When Remus saw the girl rolling in the mud he couldn't resist, ran towards her, took a giant leap in the air and shouted, "DOG PILE ON ALICE!" Alice let out a high-pitched scream as Remus landed on top of her.

"Oi! I resent that!" Sirius managed to yell before jumping on top of Remus with a handful of mud to squish in his hair. "Join us, Alea and James!" Alea was about to rejoin the mudfight when she realized she was late for Herbology. She muttered a spell and quickly cleaned off her clothes and headed off in the direction of the greenhouse.

Remus felt the air rush out of his lungs as Sirius landed on top of him. When he had it back, he turned to the girl he had landed on. Sticking out his hand he said to the girl, "Hallo, My names Remus. What's yours?" He laughed inside at the situation.

Sirius wiggled around to get more comfortable. "You do know that you have a bony back, don't you?"

Remus looked up at Sirius and nodded. "Course I do," he said with a smile.

James ran over to the three-person dogpile, but instead of jumping on it, asked, "Did anyone else notice who was going into the Forest?"

Looking at James Remus said, "I think I sm-saw Gryffin with a girl from Slytherin, the one he was hanging out with earlier..."

"Yeah, that Gryffin fellow and his girlfriend, Mesedj. She's a right nasty iguana," Sirius replied.

James shrugged. "All I knew was it was Gryffin and some Slytherin girl. Ah well." And without further ado, James threw himself onto the very muddy dogpile. "Ow. Sirius, you shouldn't be talking about bony backs."

"God! You all need to like lose some weight or something" Alice yelled from the bottom of the dog-pile. "And I'm Alice," she added to Remus, laughing as much as she could with three of her fellow fourth years on top of her.

end for now


	3. The Edges of the Forest

_**The Outer Fringes of the Forbidden Forest**_

"Lumos," Mesedj whispered, holding her wand up in front of her face. She knew this part of the forest like the back of her hand by now. "Come on," she said, waving to Gryffin.

Gryffin walked up behind her. "Wow, it's dark here even in the daytime," he stated.

Mesedj nodded. "That's one of the reasons I like it," she admitted. "That and it has the herbs I need for my potions."

"Oh, cool. So what are we looking for?" Gryffin asked her, looking around.

"Um..." Mesedj consulted her mental list. "Will you look for the lavender and mint? I'll find the rest."

"Sure," he smiled, starting to look around. Not paying attention to where he was going, he tripped on a root and fell into Mesedj.

Mesedj gasped in surprise and fell over. "Um... Gryffin?" She stared up at his face, which was currently mere inches away from her own.

Gryffin blushed at seeing how close their faces were. "Um, I'm really sorry, are you ok?" he asked, getting up quickly and holding out a hand to help her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mesedj said quietly, taking his hand and standing up, furious at herself for the way she was blushing. "Anyways... there's normally some lavender over this way," she said, gesturing to their right.

"Oh, ok. Thanks," he said, walking in the general direction she had pointed, still blushing. _That was smooth,_ he thought to himself.

Mesedj wandered slightly past Gryffin, also still blushing. _If that was anybody else I would've been really mad... so why am I just really embarrassed?_ She wondered.

Gryffin spotted some lavender. "I found some," he called over to her, picking a few stems of it.

Mesedj looked back at him. "Good! Thank you."

Gryffin grinned. "No problem. What else do I need to find?" he asked. "Sorry, I kind of forgot," he apologized.

"Mint," Mesedj replied, grinning back. "Oh, here we are," she added, pulling up a large plant that looked somewhat like a potato. "Can you pass me the basket?"

"Yeah, here you go," he said, handing her the basket, putting his lavender in it.

"Thanks." Mesedj stuck the plant into the basket and looked around for her other ingredients. Gryffin looked around for some mint. After a few minutes he spotted some.

"Hey, MJ, I found some!" he said, grinning at her.

Mesedj looked up. "'MJ'?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Gryffin grinned. "Yeah, your name is kind of hard to say. Do you mind if I just call you MJ?" he asked, still smiling.

Mesedj rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep from smiling a little. "If you must... but I reserve the right to tell anybody else not to."

"Alright," Gryffin agreed.

Mesedj shook her head and ruffled through the undergrowth looking for more plants. "Why 'MJ' anyways?"

"I don't know...I just like it," he said, laughing.

Mesedj shook her head and pulled up the last of the plants that she needed. "Right, well since you found the lavender and mint I've got everything. We can leave now. Thanks again for helping."

Gryffin smiled. "No problem." Mesedj picked up the basket and stood up, starting to make her way out of the forest.

"Where are you headed now?" he asked, taking the basket from her hand.

"Back down to the dungeons," Mesedj answered, blinking as Gryffin took the basket.

"Want some company?" Gryffin asked smiling.

Mesedj considered this. "I... maybe later? It's not you, it's just I like being alone when I'm working on potions and things... plus I don't want Bellatrix or Lucius to see us."

Gryffin blinked. "Why not?" he asked.

Mesedj blushed. "It...they would get mad...and I don't want them mad at you."

"So I'm guessing you won't talk to me if anyone is around," the boy said, looking down.

"No, no, it's not like that...I just..." Mesedj sighed. "Gryffin...I need to tell you something."

He looked up. "Ok, what?" he asked.

Mesedj looked down at her feet. "I... I'm a Death Eater.**  
**

* * *

**A/N: **Woot! Cut-off! I hope to have another chapter up soon, so R&R!


	4. Hurt

_Mesedj looked down at her feet. "I... I'm a Death Eater."_

Any look of happiness on Gryffin's face disappeared; if anything, he looked slightly scared. "But...how? You're still in school!" he exclaimed, eyes wide.

Mesedj looked up, almost crying. "A lot of the older Slytherins are. He doesn't care about age..."

Gryffin was shocked. "Please don't cry," he pleaded. "I guess you should know that I'm Muggleborn then," he added, face blank of emotion.

Mesedj's eyes widened and she winced. "I...Gryffin..."

"I guess you should also know that my parents were killed by Death Eaters 3 years ago, so I'm training to be an Auror," he continued in a calm voice.

Mesedj couldn't take it anymore. She ran back up towards the castle as fast as she could.

_Oh great,_ Gryffin thought grimly, and took off after her. _Well, I guess being a fast runner will finally come in handy,_ he added to himself. The boy caught up to Mesedj just before she crossed the mud-stricken battlefield and grabbed her hand to get her to stop. "Look, MJ, it's not your fault. You didn't kill them," he said seriously. He let go of her hand. "Let's not do this here, though," he said, looking around at all the people watching them. "Come on," he started to walk back towards the shade at the edge of the forest

Mesedj followed him back to the trees, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "How do you know? For all either of us knows I was with the group that did it..."

Gryffin turned around and looked straight into her eyes. "Because you're not that kind of person. You talked to me...you even smiled around me. You're not like that; you haven't killed anyone. And if I'm right you're even second guessing the whole Death Eater thing."

Mesedj stared at him. "I haven't killed anyone, no, but you don't understand, Gryffin! I've got the Mark! I can't get out now." The boy took her hand and pulled up her sleeve. He saw the mark; he had only seen it once before...the night his parents died. He had seen them kill his parents. Gryffin started to cry silently and dropped her hand like it burned him.

Mesedj winced and gingerly put one arm- the one without the Mark- around him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, starting to cry too.

Gryffin blinked and stopped crying. "It's not your fault" he said, looking anywhere but her face. "If you do want to get out, I can help you, and I will protect you," he told her, voice serious.

The Slytherin sighed. "Thank you for the offer... but this is something I'll need to do myself." She already had something of a plan, now all she had to do was put it into action without getting caught.

"Okay, but if you get too far in, please let me help." Gryffin looked her in the eyes now.

Mesedj laughed bitterly. "I'm already too far in. I'm his resident Seer, for crying out loud!" She shook her head. "It's not... not something anybody's gotten out of alive."

"But you will, if I have anything to say about it," Gryffin assured her, a fierce look in his eyes..

Mesedj smiled slightly and unconsciously leaned against Gryffin. "Thanks."

He smiled at her. "No problem, I'm here for you," the Gryffindor smiled.

Mesedj smiled a little more. "I still don't want you around the Slytherins though if I can help it...Alea and October aren't too bad, but the rest..." She shook her head.

"I know, I've been around here for 7 years," Gryffin laughed softly. "But I don't judge people until I have met them, and I trust them unless they give me a reason not to."

Mesedj stared at him. "Gryffin, they may not have given _you_ a reason not to trust them, but I've got plenty. I've been to meetings with them, I know what they're like, and they will _not_ be happy if they hear about this."

"Hear about what? You telling me that you're a Death Eater or us talking?" he asked, confused.

"Either!" the girl replied, eyes scanning the grounds for any sign of the afore-mentioned Slytherins. The only ones outside besides the two of them were still-mudfighting Gryffindors. "But I'm mainly worried about them hurting you. I can deal with them, I know their weaknesses and I'm not scared of them...but I am worried about you."

Gryffin smiled. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. If they are going to hurt me for just talking to you, then they are going to kill me for this," he added mysteriously. _If you don't,_ he thought wryly to himself as he leaned in and kissed her, pulling away grinning.

Mesedj stared at him, shocked. "Gryffin... I'm serious about this! They won't have any problems with killing you!"

"So, you don't have to be so serious all the time," Gryffin laughed.

"You know what your problem is? You trust people too much! What if I was just faking this whole time?" Mesedj rolled her eyes. "I can't afford not to be serious, Gryffin."

"You can with me," he corrected her, still smiling.

Mesedj sighed. "You don't seem to realize how bad this could get." She was getting really annoyed now and needed to shake him before he got himself killed.

"Yes I do, but I would rather not think about it and just have fun for now. We can worry about it later."

"I just...Gryffin, I don't think this'll work."

Gryffin ran his hand through his hair, leaving it slightly messy. "Why not?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Mesedj was confusing him.

Mesedj twirled one lock of hair around her finger, a sure sign that she was nervous. She had an idea. "Like I said... I'm worried about you, and you're not taking the situation we could be getting ourselves into nearly seriously enough."

"Okay, but let me point out that you said 'we'. So _we_ might be getting ourselves into something, but _we_ will be okay," he grinned.

Mesedj crossed her arms. "I didn't mean anything by that."

"Of course you didn't," he smirked. Gryffin knew exactly what she meant.

Mesedj glared at him. She already hated herself for what she was about to do. "Gryffin, I'm serious. This was all a bet that I have with Bellatrix."

Gryffin looked at her. "W-What do you mean?" he asked, taking a small step back away from her. She seemed incredibly serious.

Mesedj kept her face a careful blank. "I mean that Bellatrix bet me that I couldn't get a Gryffindor to trust me within a week and I took her up on it."

The smile left his face. "But I trust everyone." Gryffin's face was pale and he took another small step away from her.

"Well, that's something you'll have to grow out of," Mesedj replied, brushing past him and heading back up to the castle.

Gryffin felt his face drop. He wanted to chase after her but he honestly didn't know what he would say. So he just watched her walk away slowly, feeling not angry, but a terrible hurt.

* * *

A/N: Well, here it is. The Slytherin/Gryffindor betrayal. Don't tell me you weren't expecting it. Stay tuned to find out what happens next! Review are welcome, flames will burn my homework. 


	5. Consolation

Alea sprinted to Herbology, frightened that she would be late. The fourth year had a perfect record when it came to attendance, and she also didn't want to lose any points for Slytherin.

She was panting when she reached the door of Greenhouse Two, and groaned aloud as she saw the bit of parchment stuck to the glass-paned door. Reading it quickly she saw that Professor Tribant was absent for the day and a substitute had not been arranged, so her class had a free period. Leaning up against a nearby tree Alea tried to catch her breath.

A sudden pang of anguish reached her and caused her to straighten up quickly, alert once more. Reaching out with her mind she caught Mesedj Sebayet's aura. The seventh year had helped her in the library the other day and seemed pretty unshakeable, though her heart contained some burdens that few could lift. So why was Mesedj so upset? There was only one way to find out, Alea thought grimly as she headed back towards Hogwarts and the Great Hall where Mesedj was now.

* * *

Mesedj came into the Great Hall still attempting to look calm, but as soon as the door closed she kicked it in anger and collapsed against the wall. Alea was outside the Great Hall, waiting for Mesedj to enter. She heard a bang and a thud and knew she was there. Ok, you can do this. It's for Mesedj's sake, she thought nervously.

Mesedj began to cry uncontrollably, gasping for breath and hoping that nobody came in. Alea, hearing the tears, opened the door most of the way, sensing Mesedj's emotional breakdown. "Mesedj?" she called timidly. Mesedj turned slightly, rubbing her eyes.

"Who is it?"

"It's Alea."

"Fine... come in if you must," Mesedj said. Alea came in, seeing Mesedj crumpled against the wall, tears running down her face. She went over to her, kneeling beside her.

"It's ok, Mesedj, whatever it is, it's ok."

Mesedj laughed sarcastically. "Yeah. Sure."

Alea sat beside her, leaning up against the wall. "You don't have to tell me what happened, but it can't be that terrible."

Mesedj wiped more tears away, then began. "Gryffin Cruento likes me and I like him and you _know_ Bellatrix and Lucius and the others would be furious if they found out..."

"It'll all work out, Mesedj, you'll see. When my mom died, I thought it was the end of the world. But I made it, and you will, too," Alea told her friend, glancing at her.

Mesedj looked up at Alea. "You think so?"

"I'm sure it will. Why don't we go down by the lake or somewhere peaceful like that where no one is?" Alea suggested.

Mesedj considered this. "Can we go down to the dungeons? Just cause Gryffin's still outside..."

Alea smiled and stood up. "That works just fine." She extended a hand to Mesedj. Mesedj took the offered hand, but was suddenly reminded of Gryffin helping her up just minutes ago and fell back against the wall, crying again. Alea realized that it would be better just to let Mesedj cry, and sat down next to her again. She tentatively put her arm around her, waiting to see if she shook off the contact. Mesedj didn't bother trying to move away, but just kept crying.

The fourth year sighed and embraced Mesedj. _Poor Mesedj_, she thought, feeling sorry for her friend. _She has no one to turn to. But, I guess that's what I'm here for._ She waved her wand and muttered a spell so that no one could hear Mesedj sobbing and come to investigate.

Mesedj leaned into the embrace. "Thanks," she managed.

"You're welcome," Alea replied. "I'm glad I could help a bit."

Mesedj wiped her eyes, somewhat annoyed at herself for breaking down. "Please don't tell anyone about this..." Alea laughed softly, an odd sound in her current situation.

"You really think I'd tell anyone? The only people I'm not shy talking to are you, Sirius, and October. And don't worry, I won't tell them."

Mesedj barely smiled. "Thank you. I'd prefer as few people to know about this as possible."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Alea said. "Not to be blunt, but you're not exactly comfortable around most people, are you? I mean, you're not really a people-person. That's not a bad thing, of course," she added hurriedly, not wanting to offend Mesedj.

Mesedj shrugged in agreement. "There are very few people I could actually say that I like. Only you, October, and Bella, really. Narcissa, Severus, and Lucius are okay, I guess, and Regulus, but..." She shrugged again. "I wouldn't tell them anything like this. I wouldn't tell Bella _this_ either though, she'd probably flip out."

"Probably," Alea agreed. _I need to ask her what happened with Gryffin in the forest,_ she thought. _But she __definitely__ won't like that, so how do I do it?_

Mesedj sighed. "I just wish I hadn't met Gryffin at all," she confessed.

Alea sighed. "It can't have been that bad. At least you're in two different houses, so you can avoid him as much as possible." Alea knew she would have to let Mesedj tell her what had happened.

Mesedj stared at her. "But that's the _problem_! If we were anything but Slytherin and Gryffindor it wouldn't matter!"

Alea blinked, startled by Mesedj's sudden outburst. "Mesedj, is this about Bella and Lucius, or something else?"

Mesedj looked up at Alea for a moment, then decided to trust her with this. "He... I think he loves me. But if Bella and Lucius ever found out..."

Alea looked at her friend, still slouched against the wall. "Mesedj, I don't really think Bella and Lucius would do much to you. I know they can be...difficult...but it's not like they'll kill you or anything. And, if Gryffin loves you, do you love him back?"

Mesedj stared at Alea, eyes welling up with tears again. "Yes! I... and I have to pretend I don't so he won't... Bellatrix and Lucius would be furious if they found out, and the Dark Lord... Alea, Gryffin is _Muggleborn_! They'd kill him in a heartbeat!"

Alea's eyes widened as the meaning of this all sank in. "You mean Bella and Lucius..." she trailed off, seeing the tears in her friend's eyes. "Oh, Mesedj, I'm so sorry!" her brilliant green eyes shone with sympathy. Mesedj rubbed her eyes again, and as she did her left sleeve fell down, exposing the Dark Mark. Alea did not gasp, as most people would have, but blinked up at Mesedj, confused.

"Mesedj, what...?"

Mesedj looked puzzled for a moment, then glanced down and saw her exposed left arm. "Alea, I..." She sighed. "It's not because I hate Muggles or Muggleborns, it's because they accepted me. I know that sounds strange, but they did." Her right hand went up to twist her hair around a finger, and Alea didn't have to read her emotions to know that she was nervous. "I was ten when my parents died. For four years afterwards I moved from one wizard house to another. They were all the same- once they found out I had the Sight, they didn't want me around anymore. Finally Lucius asked me if I was interested in joining the Death Eaters and took me to a meeting. I felt at home there."

Alea felt Mesedj go from distraught to nervous and unsure and felt sorry for her. She knew what it was like to not be accepted. "Mesedj, don't worry. I'm here for you. I won't turn you away because you're different. I know what it's like, not being accepted," she said, ducking her head a bit. Once people found out she could read peoples' emotions and see their hearts, no one wanted to know her-the "freakish girl who could read minds".

Mesedj smiled a little. "Thanks." Then she blinked. "Maybe if I tell Gryffin I have the Sight he'll leave me alone. I mean, Muggles don't think that's possible, do they? Seeing the future?"

Alea shook her head. "Sorry, Mesedj, but I don't think he'll do that. He loves you, and he was hurt by what you said to him in the forest..." she trailed off, realizing she had said too much about what she knew.

Mesedj blinked. "How did you know about that?" Alea didn't answer, just looked down at her shoes and fiddled with the hem of her robes. Mesedj raised an eyebrow. "Do you have the Sight too?"

Alea shook her head. "I don't think so...it's just..." she trailed off. "Mesedj, can I trust you with something? Mesedj nodded, looking interested.

"There's this thing I've been able to do since I was really little, but it's gotten stronger as I get older," Alea sighed. "I can read some peoples' emotions, you know, how they feel. I can also tell if people have burdens on their hearts. That's how I knew you were in here; I felt a wave of sadness from you as you came up from the forest and somehow knew you'd come here."

Mesedj blinked. "I guess that could be kind of hard to deal with sometimes, couldn't it? I know the Sight is..."

Alea smiled halfway, a little amused by the current situation. "Yeah, it's really hard to deal with sometimes, but it also lets me help people." She glanced at Mesedj, whose face was still tear-streaked.

* * *

Sirius dragged himself away from the mud-covered battleground, quite exhausted. He was looking for somewhere concealed where he could Transfigure back into a dog; it would be much easier to clean himself then, plus he would have the excuse to jump into the lake. 

Looking around underneath the dark canopy of trees at the edge of the Forest he spied Gryffin, looking quite put out. "Hey," Sirius walked over to him, "What's wrong?"

Gryffin turned around and saw Sirius. "Oh...um...nothing really," he said, trying to smile.

Sirius squinted at him; there might be bad lighting in this gloomy place, but there was no mistaking that look of sadness. "Come on, at least tell me why the long face a second ago."

Gryffin looked at Sirius and saw that he was sincere; he let the smile die from his face. "It was a girl," he said softly, looking at his feet.

"Aye, the can be right nasty buggers. What exactly did she do or say that made you so down and out?" Sirius leaned against a nearby tree.

"Well, uh, she said she…er…didn't like me," Gryffin finished lamely, blushing slightly. But oh, there was so much more. Sirius seemed to pick up on the fact that the older boy was a little embarrassed and didn't want to talk about it, so he decided to quickly tie up the conversation.

"There's plenty of other fish in the sea, mate," he answered. Come to think of it, Sirius remembered the girl Gryffin had walked in with. Prongs had said she was a Slytherin, and Sirius had seen her rush inside a few minutes ago. Huh. Interesting. "Why don't you just head to your room and take a nap or something? Everything looks better once you sleep on it," Sirius continued with a smile. Gryffin replied with a shadow of his original smile.

"Right, sleep. Thanks, Sirius!" he laughed softly, if not totally enthusiastically, and clapped the younger boy on the shoulder, heading back towards the castle, dodging the mudfighters. Sirius shook his head, smiling to himself still.

"Like I said, that Mesedj girl is a right nasty iguana. He was just asking for trouble with her around," he mused. After a moment of pondering he shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, well. Time to go get clean." And with that he was gone, a large and rather muddy black dog in his place. The dog looked around, tongue lolling in a doggy grin, and raced off towards the lake.

* * *

Gryffin walked into the Great Hall, just wanting to get to his room, when he saw Mesedj and some younger girl he recognized from Slytherin. "Uh oh…" 


	6. Reconciliation and a Walk

Gryffin didn't know if he wanted to talk to Mesedj yet or not, but he thought he should give it a shot. He walked over close to where the girls were. "Um, MJ," he started, seeing that she had been crying. He couldn't figure out why she would have been crying, but felt bad for her all the same. Alea jumped and looked up at Gryffin, then glanced nervously back at Mesedj.

Mesedj flinched as she heard Gryffin behind her. She didn't turn around. "What?" she demanded, trying to make her voice as cold as possible.

Gryffin almost walked away at the sound of her voice. "Are you ok?" he asked, his voice touched with concern.

"I'm _fine_. Why wouldn't I be?" Mesedj composed herself somewhat and looked up, hoping her mascara hadn't smeared any and that she didn't look like she had been crying.

Gryffin looked at her. "Oh...um...I just thought you were crying...I just wanted to make sure you were alright," he tried, wishing he hadn't gotten into this conversation.

Mesedj bit her lip. "No..." If she had to shoo him off one more time she was likely to have a mental breakdown of some sort.

"Oh, ok, that's good," Gryffin replied, trying to smile. He ended up failing and just looking at the ground. The boy ran a hand through his hair, leaving it quite messy. "I just thought I would make sure," he said awkwardly.

Mesedj winced. _Dammit, why does he have to be so sweet about it?_ She thought, knowing she would have been amused if it wasn't so painful.

Gryffin didn't know what to say. _G__osh...she was crying hard too,_ he thought to himself. He felt bad but he didn't know why; he just had a feeling it was his fault somehow. Mesedj looked down at her boots, suddenly finding the shine of the candles off the fake leather very interesting. A single tear fell suddenly, and she crossed her fingers and hoped Gryffin hadn't seen. Gryffin saw the tear drop from her face _I knew it,_ he thought to himself.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, not wanting to make her mad; he just wanted her to be ok. Mesedj didn't say anything, but a few more tears fell. Gryffin closed his eyes, discovering that he couldn't stand to see her cry.

"MJ, please, say something," he pleaded softly, trying to maintain control of his emotions. Mesedj whispered something that even she could barely hear.

Gryffin wanted to help her somehow. He went over and sat down beside her, smiling at her. "I didn't quite catch that," he started, looking pathetic.

"I love you," she said a little more loudly, tears streaming down her face now.

Gryffin almost couldn't comprehend what he had just heard. "But I thought...I mean, you said..." he trailed off in thought.

"I know what I said, Gryffin. People lie, you know," Mesedj added, smiling slightly despite herself.

"But why? Why would you lie like that? It hurts people, including yourself!" Gryffin asked, confused and a little dismayed.

Mesedj glanced at him. "Better you get hurt emotionally then Bella or Lucius or someone kills you."

"Guess which one hurts worse?"

"Well it would hurt more later if you were dead," Mesedj countered, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

_Oh no, please don't get mad at me now!_ He thought. "I guess. But why be hurting right now? I really don't think they will kill me," he added, putting his arm around her and giving her a hug.

Mesedj leaned unconsciously into the hug. "I think they would," she replied, pushing a lock of hair away from her eyes. "I mean... you're a Gryffindor so that's bad enough, plus you're a Muggleborn... they'll be furious if they find out."

"Don't worry about it," Gryffin said, still holding her. "It will all work out," he smiled.

Mesedj turned around and looked at him, incredulous. "Don't worry about it? You could get killed and you're telling me don't worry about it?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," Gryffin paused, thinking about his statement.

Mesedj laughed softly and shook her head. "You are one crazy boy."

"With good reason." He smiled.

Alea looked at the two of them, a little jealous of the obvious affection they shared for each other. She smiled a bit, watching her friend lean into the embrace of the Gryffindor. "Well, I'm glad that worked out," she said aloud. Alea glanced at Mesedj, trying to read the look on her face, then at Gryffin, sensing hope and a tad of confusion from him.

Mesedj smiled a little. "Thanks for everything, Alea," she said, looking up at her young friend.

Alea smiled warmly. "You're quite welcome. I'm glad I could help. If you ever need me, you know where my dormitory is," she laughed.

Mesedj smiled back. "Same here."

"Are you better now?" Gryffin was smiling at her.

Mesedj shrugged. "I guess we can work out everything as it comes... but I'm still worried."

"Don't be."

"I can't help it," Mesedj muttered, arms crossed. _What an overwhelming optimist, _she thought, a little disgusted.

"Do you want to go for a walk by the lake tonight?" Gryffin suddenly asked, blushing slightly yet still smiling.

Mesedj blinked and smiled back. "Yes... alright."

"Okay then. See you at 9?" Gryffin asked, cocking his head. Mesedj nodded and stood up, walking out of the Great Hall with a backwards glance and a smile for Gryffin. Gryffin returned her smile and headed to his dorm, feeling as if he was walking on air. Alea hesitated, then followed Mesedj back to the Slytherin common room, smiling slightly to herself. _That was a job well done, but something tells me we haven't seen the last of their troubles…  
_

* * *

It was 8:45 and Mesedj slid into the Great Hall, black hair down around her shoulders instead of in its normal ponytail. She was more than a little nervous, to say the least, but she couldn't figure out why. Why did she feel this way about this…Gryffindor? This _Mudblood_? She had never cared about anyone, not since her parents had died in that accident. Not her many foster families, not Bellatrix, not even Lucius.

And yet…and yet she liked the feeling. It was exhilarating, yet exhausting, but she didn't want it to ever go away. Ever.

Her musings were interrupted by the doors slamming and she jumped, whirling to face the noise. It was Gryffin, smiling as usual.

"Hey," he greeted her, walking over and embracing her. Mesedj stiffened in the embrace but relaxed as she felt his breath on her shoulder.

"Hi," she replied breathlessly, feeling all the blood rush to her face. She pulled away and began twisting her left index finger around a lock of her hair, showing her nerves. Gryffin didn't seem to notice her unease.

"Shall we go, then?" he laughed, reaching out and grasping her hand. Mesedj blinked, but didn't pull away and even smiled slightly.

"Alright."

* * *

Mesedj looked out at the lake. It was a clear night and the moon was reflected in the dark waters, breaking the solemn atmosphere with a touch of light. _Just like my life right now_, she whispered in her head before her common sense could stop the thought.

"Wow," Gryffin breathed, eyes fixed on the shining reflection of the moon

"Yeah... it's really pretty out here."

"Yeah, but beauty is nothing new to me," Gryffin replied, smiling at Mesedj. Mesedj blushed slightly, then blushed even more as she leaned her head slightly on Gryffin's shoulder.

Gryffin continued smiling, then noticed a large rock near the lake. "Do you want to go sit over there?" he asked, nodding towards the boulder.

Mesedj nodded, still smiling. "This is... nice." Gryffin said nothing, only walked over to the rock and got up on it. He held out his hand to help Mesedj up. _What a gentleman, _that unruly little voice in the back of her mind sighed. Mesedj blushed even more as she took his hand and was halfway up the rock before she slipped and fell, instinctively dropping his hand and grabbing him around the neck in an attempt not to fall all the way. Gryffin fell slightly forward but kept his ground, grabbing her.

"Are you ok?" he asked. He attempted to pull her up but fell over backwards in the process. Mesedj yelped slightly as she fell forwards, arms still around Gryffin's neck. _Well, __this__ is awkward_ she thought ruefully. The feeling of awkwardness quickly multiplied itself as they slipped, falling off the rock and landing on the ground with their lips touching.

_Wow, that was smooth,_ Gryffin thought as he was falling. As he landed, his lips on Mesedj's, he sighed almost inaudibly. _Well this is very interesting...oh well. It's not like I haven't wanted to do this all night._


	7. Confrontation

**A/N:** This chapter is longer than the first Chapter 7 I posted on here...I realized that a good cut-off point was a few paragraphs away and it would be better to include it all here. Toodles!

* * *

As Gryffin and Mesedj lay on the lakeshore, lips pressed together, Mesedj considered moving. But then she realized that since her hands were stuck behind his head there wasn't anything she could do, so she gave up. Then again, she hadn't tried very hard to move. She didn't really _want_ to move. 

Gryffin sighed and considered moving, so Mesedj wouldn't be as awkward. But he didn't really _want_ to move. A familiar voice from a few hundred yards away pierced his reverie. Oh, it was his little brother Dillon and his crush, a Gryffindor named Morgan White…

Morgan and Dillon were out for a moonlit stroll when Morgan saw something behind a rock that looked like a large mass. "What the heck?" Morgan said in confusion, then realized what-no _who_-it was. "I think that's your brother, Dillon, and...I hope that's a girl…oh...my..." Morgan stopped with her mouth open.

Dillon looked at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked, following her gaze. He saw his brother and stopped walking. "Yeah, that's a girl, but I can't tell who it is. I think it's the girl he told me about earlier today," he added, trying to work out who his brother was kissing.

"Did he ever mention a name?" Morgan asked curiously.

"He called her MJ," Dillon answered after wracking his brain.

"Hmm...never heard of her," Morgan replied. "Do you know what house she's in?"

"I think he said she was a Slytherin."

"Oh...great…"

After a moment or so of silence, Dillon's eyes lit up. "Oh, wait! I remember her name now! It's Mesedj!" he smiled, pleased.

"SAY WHAT?" Morgan yelled, going pale. Mesedj _Sebayet_? The Slytherin who would curse you as soon as look at you? With _Gryffin_-the sweetest Gryffindor ever? That couldn't be right, but there was only one way to find out…

Mesedj pulled away from Gryffin at the noise and saw the two people coming towards them. "Ohmygod," she gasped and promptly jerked away completely, falling over on the other side of Gryffin from the newcomers. Gryffin looked up and saw that Dillon and Morgan were coming towards them. He sat up and ran his hand through his hair awkwardly. "Hello!" he said, waving towards Dillon.

"I knew it! That doesn't sound like something you would do!" Morgan said, walking towards Mesedj, but she forgot to let go of Dillon's hands and stumbled. Recovering her balance, she let go of Dillon's hand and stalked towards Mesedj, glaring.

Mesedj scrambled to her feet. "And what do you mean by that?"

"That you would do _that_ with a Gryffindor!" Morgan said still walking towards Mesedj.

"Hey, this is my fault, don't attack her…wait, what?" Gryffin broke in, his eyes getting wide.

Morgan walked right past him. "I would have never have thought that _you_ of all people would even consider a Gryffindor!" she yelled.

Mesedj raised an eyebrow. "And why not? Because of _this_?" she said loudly, rolling up her left sleeve to expose the Mark there. Gryffin turned around and saw what Mesedj had done. His eyes got really wide and his mouth hung slightly open. _Oh, no. Bad idea, MJ…_

Morgan stopped...then continued. "That would explain a lot...like why you hate Muggleborns! I HATE THAT!" she said, finally reaching Mesedj. Morgan's head only came to Mesedj's shoulder, but she was only focusing on Mesedj's arm.

"I hate to break it to you, but we were kind of kissing when you walked up…" Gryffin interrupted, looking at Morgan. "I think we should all just calm down a little bit," he said to both the girls. Morgan just ignored him.

"So, I guess you're proud to have that on your arm? Do you know what they do? THEY KILL PEOPLE!" Tears were now streaming down Morgan's face.

Mesedj glanced over at Gryffin then back at Morgan, glaring down at the younger girl. "I know just as well as you do what they do, and _better_, so stop making judgments about me!"

"Yeah, Morgan, she is different," Gryffin broke in again.

"You know what they do? They get close to people they want to hurt!" Morgan continued, ignoring Gryffin again.

"Morgan, please don't cry…" Dillon looked as bewildered as his brother.

Mesedj's eyes narrowed. "Where the hell did you get that idea? If a Death Eater wants to kill someone, they don't waste time getting close to them, they just kill them. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Morgan, listen to me! She's different; she isn't going to hurt anyone." Gryffin tried again.

Morgan stopped crying almost as he said it. The look on his face reminded her so much of the one on Dillon's just a few minutes ago. It was love. "I can understand how you feel about someone. Just be careful, people can be..._surprising,_" she hinted strongly.

"I trust her, there's nothing to worry about," Gryffin said to Morgan, ignoring the hint.

Mesedj crossed her arms, a little annoyed how they had cut her out of the conversation. "Even Death Eaters have hearts, you know, have you ever considered that? We're as capable of feeling as you are."

"I know, but _some _people just start a relationship to get close and then...BANG! They're dead!" Morgan said, turning to Mesedj once more.

"Did I not just tell you that Death Eaters don't waste time getting close to people before they kill them?" Mesedj said, annoyed. "Are you listening to a _word_ I'm saying?"

"Yes, but people _lie_," Morgan said, poking her in the stomach.

Mesedj rolled her eyes. "You think I don't know that? You know what, I don't care. Fine. Just leave me alone." She crossed her arms and turned her back on Morgan.

Morgan put her hand on her wand, which was inside her robes. "Turn...around...now," Morgan said with a strained voice. That Death Eater had just crossed the line. _No one_ talked like that to Morgan White.

Gryffin saw Morgan reach inside her robe; he knew what she was doing. He got in front of Morgan and looked down at her. "Stop...now," he said in the most serious voice he had used in a long time.

Mesedj turned around, one eyebrow raised. "It's not like she could hurt me if she tried, Gryffin, what are you worried about?"

"What, does that mark give you an invisible shield? I could do serous harm to you if I wanted to! But he is in my way, so I'll hold off." Morgan looked at Gryffin with these last few words.

Mesedj snickered. "You wanna try, go right ahead. I could beat you in a duel without using any spells besides defensive."

"I COULD BEAT YOU WITH MY FIST! YOU CAN KEEP YOUR WAND! I'LL _STILL_ BEAT YOU!" Morgan yelled, letting go of her wand and trying to step past Gryffin.

"No, you won't," Gryffin grabbed hold of her arm. He glared down at her again. "Stop this _now_," he said, getting very frustrated.

Mesedj shook her head. "Like I said, Gryffin, she couldn't hurt me if she tried. Go ahead and let her go, it'll be interesting."

"No, that's not the point. She needs to calm down."

"Calming down can get you killed! So can surrendering! Let me go! I'll beat her! I won't get hurt! Let me GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Morgan yelled at Gryffin.

Mesedj rolled her eyes. "Whereas not calming down can burst blood vessels. Go jump in the lake, maybe that'll cool you down."

Gryffin turned around to Mesedj. "You are not helping," he said coolly, a small smile flitting on the edges of his lips as he turned to Morgan again. "Morgan, why don't you just go play with Dillon some more and leave us alone?" Gryffin nodded back towards his brother. Mesedj rolled her eyes again but shut up.

"Fine...but you'll have to let me go first," Morgan pointed out. Talking to Dillon would calm her down.

"Okay," Gryffin let go of her and smiled again.

"Come on, Dillon, let's get out of here," Morgan finished, stalking off with a final glare for Mesedj. Dillon nodded, taking her hand again and smiling back at his brother. Gryffin gave the young Hufflepuff a salute in return.

Mesedj watched them walk away. "Well... that was awkward."

"Yeah...a little, but thanks," Gryffin added, grinning again.

Mesedj raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for what?"

"You stopped...thanks." Gryffin was still grinning at her as he kissed her on the cheek. Mesedj blushed.

"It wasn't... I just... it's not a big deal..." she protested slightly.

"Well, it helped...so it means a lot to me." And with that, Gryffin leaned back onto the boulder, looking up at the stars. Mesedj hesitantly sat next to him, letting out a muffled squeak as he pulled her into an embrace. But after a second she relented, relaxing and staring up at the night sky also, wondering how her life could have changed so quickly in such a short amount of time…


End file.
